As soon as I ventured deeper into the forest, I realized the environment was different from what it had seemed at first glance. The trees were tall, ancient, and dense, forming a kind of natural ceiling that blocked much of the sunlight. The sound of birds had gradually disappeared, replaced by a strange silence that made everything even more unsettling.
I continued walking along the trail indicated by the village chief while keeping one hand close to the hilt of my sword. I wasn't afraid, but I had enough experience to know that when a forest became that silent, it usually meant a predator was nearby.
A few minutes later, I stopped.
I had sensed something.
I closed my eyes for a moment and expanded my mana perception.
Then I found it.
One presence.
Then two.
Five.
Ten.
Twenty.
I slowly opened my eyes.
"They've already found me."
A branch snapped in the distance.
Another crack came from behind me.
Moments later, I heard footsteps rushing through the bushes.
I didn't have to wait long to find out who was watching me.
A wolf emerged from between the trees.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, dozens of them had appeared all around me.
They were larger than ordinary wolves. Their fur was dark, and their eyes glowed with an eerie crimson light. Some bared their fangs as they slowly circled around me.
I remained still.
Watching.
Analyzing.
They were watching me too.
It was almost as if they were waiting for an order.
"So it's true..."
The village chief hadn't been exaggerating.
Those wolves were truly acting in an organized manner.
Far more organized than normal animals ever should.
I gripped the hilt of my sword.
The wolves continued circling.
One of them growled.
Another scraped its paws against the ground.
The tension grew with every passing second.
Then it happened.
One of the wolves leaped.
At that very instant, I drew my sword.
A single movement.
The blade sliced through the air.
The wolf was cut down before it could even touch me.
Its lifeless body fell to the ground.
But that was only the beginning.
As if that attack had been a signal, all the others charged at the same time.
The entire forest seemed to come alive.
Wolves rushed in from every direction.
Left.
Right.
Front.
Behind.
I moved immediately.
My sword cut down one.
Then another.
And another.
Bodies began falling around me as I advanced through them.
Despite their numbers, none of those monsters posed a real threat to me.
The true problem was their sheer quantity.
And at that very moment, I remembered the book.
The ancient mage's book.
The theories about shortening incantations.
Until now, I had practiced only in controlled environments.
Never during a real battle.
Perhaps this was a good opportunity.
I leaped backward as three wolves lunged at me.
I raised my free hand.
Normally, I would have needed to recite part of the incantation.
But the book claimed that wasn't necessary.
According to the author, the chant merely helped the mind organize mana.
If one's control was sufficient, all that was needed was the keyword.
I took a deep breath.
I gathered mana in the palm of my hand.
"Fire."
A flaming sphere appeared instantly.
My eyes widened.
It worked.
Without hesitating, I fired the spell.
The fireball streaked through the air and struck one of the wolves directly.
An explosion of flames illuminated part of the forest.
The monster collapsed immediately.
For a moment, I was impressed.
Not because the spell was powerful.
But because it had actually worked.
Much faster than I was used to.
I smiled.
"So it was true."
Another group of wolves charged.
This time, I wasted no time.
"Fire."
Another sphere appeared.
"Earth."
Stone spears erupted from the ground.
"Wind."
A powerful gust swept across the clearing.
The spells were being cast almost instantly.
The difference was incredible.
Before, I had to waste precious seconds reciting incantations.
Now, a single word was enough.
Just one word.
As I fought, I began to understand more clearly what the author had meant.
It wasn't the chant that created the magic.
It was the mind.
It was the will.
It was mana obeying its user.
The chants merely helped that process.
Nothing more.
I continued advancing.
My sword cut down those who came too close.
My magic eliminated those trying to surround me.
The combination of the two made the battle incredibly efficient.
A wolf leaped from the left.
I cut it down.
Another came from the right.
I pierced it.
Three appeared in front of me.
"Earth."
Spikes burst from the ground.
The monsters were impaled before they could even reach me.
The battle continued for several minutes.
More and more wolves kept appearing.
Their numbers were astonishing.
That entire pack had probably been terrorizing the village for quite some time.
But now they were making a mistake.
They were all attacking at once.
And that only made my job easier.
As I fought, I continued testing different combinations.
"Fire."
"Wind."
"Earth."
"Water."
Every spell worked.
Every single one.
Without exception.
The casting speed had truly increased.
The mana consumption also seemed lower.
Perhaps because I was using less mental energy during activation.
The more I used it, the more convinced I became.
That ancient mage truly was a genius.
There was no other explanation.
The fact that this knowledge had disappeared over the centuries was almost unbelievable.
Perhaps many people simply lacked the ability to apply that theory.
Or perhaps the knowledge had been lost.
Either way, I intended to make the most of it.
A few more wolves charged.
This time, I decided to increase the intensity a little.
I concentrated my mana.
"Fire."
A much larger mass of flames appeared before me.
The blaze surged forward like a wave.
The monsters were swallowed instantly.
When the attack ended, the clearing had become much quieter.
I looked around.
The bodies of wolves were scattered everywhere.
Most of them no longer moved.
Others fled deeper into the forest.
For the first time since the battle had begun, the number of enemies started to decrease.
I sheathed my sword for a moment.
I took a deep breath.
Then I felt it again.
That same sensation.
A different presence.
Far stronger.
Far heavier.
It had been watching the battle from the very beginning.
I was certain of it.
I looked toward the densest part of the forest.
The trees seemed strangely motionless.
Not even the wind passed through them.
The remaining wolves began to retreat.
Some even lowered their heads.
As if they were standing before something superior.
My expression turned serious.
Then I heard them.
Footsteps.
Heavy.
Slow.
Steady.
Something was coming.
Something that clearly wasn't an ordinary wolf.
I gripped the hilt of my sword once again as I watched the darkness between the trees.
The presence continued to draw closer.
And the nearer it came, the more obvious it became that I had finally found the true one responsible for all of this.
The one controlling the entire pack was about to reveal itself.